Generation Migrants Research Articles

Are Movers More Egalitarian than Stayers? An Intergenerational Perspective on Intra-Household Financial Decision-Making

This study seeks to investigate the role of international migration in shaping the financial decision-making behaviors of married couples through a comparison of three generations of Turkish migrants to Europe (i.e., movers) with their counterparts who remained in Turkey (i.e., stayers). The data are drawn from a subset of personal data from the 2000 Families Survey, involving 4,215 interviews performed randomly with married individuals nested within 1,713 families. The results suggest that international migration increases the tendency for spouses to jointly decide on their finances by (1) weakening the intergenerational transmission of traditional financial decision-making behaviors and gender ideologies and (2) enabling more intense acculturation of younger generations within “less patriarchal” contexts. With its unique, intergenerational, and multisite perspective, the study provides particular insight into the understudied relationship between migration and intra-household decision-making and its benefits for gender equality.

Belonging in Brexit Britain: Central and Eastern European 1.5 generation young people's experiences

AbstractIn this paper, we examine the experiences of young people born in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) who are part of the 1.5 migrant generation living in “Brexit Britain.” We focus on two key themes: (a) young people's feelings of belonging to Britain, their countries of birth and Europe, and the ways in which these have been impacted by the EU Referendum result; (b) young people's future plans, in an intergenerational context, with particular regard to their feelings of belonging and the ruptures of migration and Brexit. Britain's decision to leave the EU caused uncertainty for CEE 1.5 generation young people at a time when many of them were consciously reflecting on their beings, becomings, and belongings. The majority of young people asserted a sense of belonging to Britain whilst simultaneously feeling a sense of “in‐between‐ness.” Many young people wanted to remain living in Britain, at least in the short term, and felt a sense of belonging to Britain. Our focus on the potential intergenerational impact of Brexit suggests that CEE young people and parents may view possibilities for the future differently; we examine some of the key reasons for these differences from the young people's perspectives.

Migration, acculturation, and the maintenance of between-group cultural variation.

How do migration and acculturation (i.e. psychological or behavioral change resulting from migration) affect within- and between-group cultural variation? Here I address this question by drawing analogies between genetic and cultural evolution. Population genetic models show that migration rapidly breaks down between-group genetic structure. In cultural evolution, however, migrants or their descendants can acculturate to local behaviors via social learning processes such as conformity, potentially preventing migration from eliminating between-group cultural variation. An analysis of the empirical literature on migration suggests that acculturation is common, with second and subsequent migrant generations shifting, sometimes substantially, towards the cultural values of the adopted society. Yet there is little understanding of the individual-level dynamics that underlie these population-level shifts. To explore this formally, I present models quantifying the effect of migration and acculturation on between-group cultural variation, for both neutral and costly cooperative traits. In the models, between-group cultural variation, measured using F statistics, is eliminated by migration and maintained by conformist acculturation. The extent of acculturation is determined by the strength of conformist bias and the number of demonstrators from whom individuals learn. Acculturation is countered by assortation, the tendency for individuals to preferentially interact with culturally-similar others. Unlike neutral traits, cooperative traits can additionally be maintained by payoff-biased social learning, but only in the presence of strong sanctioning mechanisms (e.g. institutions). Overall, the models show that surprisingly little conformist acculturation is required to maintain realistic amounts of between-group cultural diversity. While these models provide insight into the potential dynamics of acculturation and migration in cultural evolution, they also highlight the need for more empirical research into the individual-level learning biases that underlie migrant acculturation.

Becoming a Rooted Cosmopolitan? The Case Study of 1.5 Generation New Chinese Migrants in New Zealand

AbstractDrawing on qualitative research with 45 Chinese 1.5 generation migrants in New Zealand, this paper examines how migration processes intersect with cosmopolitan manifestations at an everyday level. Theoretically, it takes shape within a growing body of literature on cosmopolitanism that provides new insights into understanding migration and mobilities. Empirically, it is situated within the context of a growing trend of Chinese migration to New Zealand, a country experiencing increasing ethnic diversity. Employing the concept of “rooted cosmopolitanism,” the paper explores how different degrees of a sense of rootedness interrelate with the strength of cosmopolitan openness to cultural others, as displayed in daily interactions. It demonstrates that rootedness and cosmopolitan openness are not mutually exclusive, but simultaneously coexist and even mutually strengthen each other. It argues that the process of becoming a rooted cosmopolitan is not straightforward but demands constant work to strategically negotiate the interacting dynamics between openness and its seeming counter-discourse–rootedness.

Translocal space across migrant generations: The case of a Greek Orthodox Church in the United Kingdom

AbstractThis paper examines the changing importance of translocal space to three generations of Greek Cypriot migrants in the United Kingdom. Focusing on a Greek Orthodox Church, the paper draws upon participant observations and interviews to examine how translocal space is given meaning by migrants and, in turn, how the meaning and use of translocal space is renegotiated and altered by later generations. Based on this evidence, we argue that translocal space strengthens community ties and offers a way of performing particular ideas of identity and culture. It provides social and cultural links to distant people and places through shared religious practices. Furthermore, an intergenerational perspectives allows us to understand how translocal places are reproduced, challenged, and changed by successive generations. In doing so, the paper advances our understanding of translocality, the different ways that translocal space is used by migrant generations, and the changing significance of places of worship to migrant identities.

Early Modern migrants in a language contact setting: Characteristics of the Dutch Heusch correspondence (1664–1665)

Abstract The present article demonstrates how research on confiscated late-seventeenth-century letters allows us to gain insight into linguistic practices of second and third generations of Dutch-speaking migrants who lived in the German city of Hamburg, in a predominantly Low German region. The historical background of the preserved Heusch correspondence, spoken and written communication in merchant circles, and foreign language learning will be discussed. Apart from examining features such as epistolary formulae, ellipsis, and code switching, the question is also addressed of the degree to which interference from Low (or High) German is found. An analysis of the letters reveals both adoption of the Low German reflexive pronoun sick and a diverse pattern of using the relative particle so, which is shown to be a clear case of adopting (and maybe even extending) a supraregional German relativisation strategy.

Parental migration and young migrants’ wages in urban China: An exploratory analysis

Since the initiation of the economic reforms in 1978, generations of Chinese migrants have moved from the countryside to cities to seek job opportunities. As a result of financial constraints and institutional obstacles, many migrants leave their children at the place of origin, to be taken care of by partners, grandparents or other caregivers. Whilst previous studies primarily focus on the impacts of parental migration on children’s education and health, very few studies have examined its longer-term impacts on labour market income when children reach adulthood. Yet parental migration is likely to influence children’s human capital accumulation and skill development. Drawing on data from the 2011 Chinese Migrant Dynamics Monitoring Survey, this article fills the gap by exploring the relationship between different types of parental migration and their children’s wages when the children have grown up and migrated to work in cities. Structural models are employed to estimate both education and wage equations simultaneously to capture the direct effect of parental migration on wages, together with the mediating effect of education. The results show significantly negative relationships between parental migration and young migrants’ educational attainment and wages. Those who experienced the out-migration of both parents are most disadvantaged in the urban labour market. The study is important for policies aimed at improving migrants’ life prospects and enhancing social mobility and equality.

De la diaspora à la « minorité imaginée ». Mémoires de persécution et transformation transgénérationnelle des réseaux migrants protestants en Europe à l’époque moderne

Most early modern religious diaspora groups in Europe cultivated narratives of persecution and martyrdom and handed them on to future generations. Yet the function of such narratives changed in each migrant generation. Focusing on printed publications of Netherlandish exile communities in Germany and the Northern Netherlands, this article argues that the reception of persecution narratives underwent drastic changes and stimulated new religious identities that allowed believers to see themselves as part of a religious minority even if they now belonged to the dominant groups in society.

Bringing children to the cities: gendered migrant parenting and the family dynamics of rural-urban migrants in China

ABSTRACTIncreased family migration over the past few decades has given rise to a prominent issue: how migrant parents raise their children in a destination society. The literature on migrant parenting has primarily focused on the transnational/translocal parenting of left-behind children. However, despite the increasing number of migrant children, relatively less attention has been paid to the intrafamilial dynamics and gendered parenting of raising children in a destination society. To fill the gap, this study records the voices of both rural-urban migrant mothers and fathers with children who reside in urban South China to examine how gendered parenting is negotiated between migrant couples and across migrant generations. The findings of this study enrich the body of scholarship by demonstrating the constantly negotiated and contested nature of gender in migrant parenting and the hybrid effects of family migration on the gendered labour division of child care for different caregivers.

Evaluation of the genetic diversity and population structure of Gasterophilus pecorum in Xinjiang Province, China, using fluorescent microsatellites (SSR) markers

The genetic diversity of Gasterophilus pecorum populations consisting of 192 individuals sampled from Przewalski’s horses (Equus ferus przewalskii) in Xinjiang Province, China, was evaluated using 12 microsatellite loci. The genetic variability within populations and genetic differentiation among populations were estimated. A total of 163 alleles were detected and the average value of observed number of alleles at each locus ranged from 7 to 19 (average 13.5625). The expected heterozygosity (He) varied from 0.5933 (GP361) to 0.9208 (GP253) and averaged 0.8426. The effective number of alleles (Ne) of the simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers was 7.1756, and it ranged from 2.4430 to 11.5214. The polymorphism information content (PIC) ranged from 0.5643 (GP361) to 0.9053 (GP253) (average 0.8119). The average Shannon’s information index (I) was 2.1272. Parameters of genetic diversity (Ht, Hs and Gst) and F-statistic (Fis, Fit and Fst) were estimated. The mean of total gene diversity (Ht = 0.8798) and the average interspecific genetic diversity (Dst = 0.0110) showed that G. pecorum had a relatively high level of genetic variation, which was mainly within populations. The Fixation indices as Fst ranged from 0.0029 to 0.0950, and the Number of per generation migrants (Nm) among the populations varied from 2.3814 to 85.9745. These results indicate that the heterozygosity and genetic diversity of the G. pecorum populations were very high and that gene exchange was frequent. Correlation analyses demonstrated that the number of alleles and genetic diversity of the populations were not significantly different (p = 0.2). Unweighted Pair Group Method with Arithmetic mean (UPGMA) clustering analyses revealed a genetic similarity of 0.0671 – 0.1118. Analysis of molecular variance (AMOVA) demonstrated that the percentage of variation in the intrapopulation was small (0.67%) and the genetic variation in the G. pecorum populations was mainly exist within the species. An understanding of population genetic structure is not only crucial for assessing the actions and interactions of evolutionary forces in natural populations but also helps elucidate parasitic strategies in G. pecorum.

Genetic admixture between captive-bred and wild individuals affects patterns of dispersal in a brown trout (Salmo trutta) population

Genetic admixture between captive-bred and wild individuals has been demonstrated to affect many individual traits, although little is known about its potential influence on dispersal, an important trait governing the eco-evolutionary dynamics of populations. Here, we quantified and described the spatial distribution of genetic admixture in a brown trout (Salmo trutta) population from a small watershed that was stocked until 1999, and then tested whether or not individual dispersal parameters were related to admixture between wild and captive-bred fish. We genotyped 715 fish at 17 microsatellite loci sampled from both the mainstream and all populated tributaries, as well as 48 fish from the hatchery used to stock the study area. First, we used Bayesian clustering to infer local genetic structure and to quantify genetic admixture. We inferred first generation migrants to identify dispersal events and test which features (genetic admixture, sex and body length) affected dispersal parameters (i.e. probability to disperse, distance of dispersal and direction of the dispersal event). We identified two genetic clusters in the river basin, corresponding to wild fish on the one hand and to fish derived from the captive strain on the other hand, allowing us to define an individual gradient of admixture. Individuals with a strong assignment to the captive strain occurred almost exclusively in some tributaries, and were more likely to disperse towards a tributary than towards a site of the mainstream. Furthermore, dispersal probability increased as the probability of assignment to the captive strain increased, and individuals with an intermediate level of admixture exhibited the lowest dispersal distances. These findings show that various dispersal parameters may be biased by admixture with captive-bred genotypes, and that management policies should take into account the differential spread of captive-bred individuals in wild populations.

Co-residence of adult children with their parents: differences by migration background explored and explained

ABSTRACTResearch on majority populations throughout Europe showed strong attachment and exchange of support between parents and their adult children. Studies on migrant families are limited yet needed in light of the increasing share of older people of migrant origin in European populations. One of the main sources of intergenerational support and care is via coresidence of (older) parents and their adult children. In this paper, we first analyse whether co-residence of adult children with their parents differs between migrants and non-migrants across Europe. Second, we assess the potentially differential effect of resources and socio-demographic factors among the migrant and non-migrant population as well as migrant-specific factors (migrant generation and region of origin). Data on five countries, with different migration patterns and histories, covered in the first wave of the Generation and Gender Survey are used (Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, and the Netherlands). Results show that levels of adult child–parent co-residence do not vary significantly by migrant status but do differ across Europe. Furthermore, we find that socio-demographic factors are important and have a similar association with parent–child coresidence for migrants and non-migrants. Our study does, however, suggest differences in co-residence by region of origin and migrant generation.

The impact of migration on intergenerational solidarity types

ABSTRACTThis paper aims to expand knowledge on the effects of an international migration on parent–adult child relationships. We develop a typology, include non-migrants in the country of origin for comparison, and consider transnational families. Analyses are based on the Turkish 2000 Families Study, using information of adult non-co-resident children about their relationships with their parents. The research questions are: Do intergenerational solidarity types in migrant families reflect the patterns prevalent in the origin context or migration-specific adjustments? Do solidarity types of migrants differ, depending on whether they are transnational, of first- or second-generation children? Are differences due to composition effects? Latent class analysis shows four solidarity types. Their prevalence differs remarkably across the migrant groups. The proportion of the full-solidarity type is larger and that of the autonomous type is smaller in the relationships of first- and second-generation children with their migrant parents than among stayer dyads in Turkey. In transnational relationships, there is less full solidarity, and autonomous relationships are more likely. All migrant groups display less advice-oriented and more material-oriented support relationships. These results indicate stronger intergenerational cohesion in non-transnational migrant families and few changes across migrant generations. The observed differences are not due to composition effects.

As tall as my peers - similarity in body height between migrants and hosts.

Background: We define migrants as people who move from their place of birth to a new place of residence. Migration usually is directed by "Push-Pull" factors, for example to escape from poor living conditions or to find more prosperous socio-economic conditions. Migrant children tend to assimilate quickly, and soon perceive themselves as peers within their new social networks. Differences exist between growth of first generation and second generation migrants. Methods: We review body heights and height distributions of historic and modern migrant populations to test two hypotheses: 1) that migrant and adopted children coming from lower social status localities to higher status localities adjust their height growth toward the mean of the dominant recipient social network, and 2) social dominant colonial and military migrants display growth that significantly surpasses the median height of both the conquered population and the population of origin. Our analytical framework also considered social networks. Recent publications indicate that spatial connectedness (community effects) and social competitiveness can affect human growth. Results: Migrant children and adolescents of lower social status rapidly adjust in height towards average height of their hosts, but tend to mature earlier, and are prone to overweight. The mean height of colonial/military migrants does surpass that of the conquered and origin population. Conclusion: Observations on human social networks, non-human animal strategic growth adjustments, and competitive growth processes strengthen the concept of social connectedness being involved in the regulation of human migrant growth.

How to Improve New Generation Migrant Workers’ Entrepreneurial Willingness—A Moderated Mediation Examination from the Sustainable Perspective

Drawing on government service quality theory, we examined the impact of government service quality on new generation migrant workers’ entrepreneurial willingness. This paper proposed that government trust mediates the relationship between government service quality and new generation migrant workers’ entrepreneurial willingness, and the entrepreneurial climate plays a positive moderating role. Using the survey data of 472 new generation migrants, empirical results support the hypotheses. This research reveals that government trust plays an important role in the relationship between government service quality and migrant workers’ entrepreneurial willingness, which has important theory contribution, but also practical implications for effectively constructing government trust and managing migrant workers’ entrepreneurial willingness.

18-30 : (Integration of the Second Generation of Migrants Aged 18-30 in Russia: The Results of the Pilot Survey)

Russian Abstract: В данной работе представлены результаты пилотного опроса мигрантов второго поколения в возрасте 18-30 лет в России, проведенного в Интернете методом трагетирования в социальных сетях. Мигранты второго поколения – те, в России кто вырос или провел хотя бы несколько школьных лет, и у кого хотя бы один родитель – мигрант. В фокусе этого исследования – второе поколение из семей армянских и азербайджанских мигрантов. На основании анализа базы данных (N=302) приводятся характеристики интеграции этой совокупности российской молодежи по четырем направлениям: структурная, культурная, социальная и идентификационная интеграция. Сравнение с российской молодежью соответствующего возраста по данным ФОМ и РМЭЗ показывает, что второе поколение мигрантов более успешно своих сверстников в плане уровня образования и дохода. Круги общения второго поколения мигрантов смешанные, а браки – моноэтничные. Армянская и азербайджанская самоидентификация превалирует, но не конфликтует с российской, а также с признанием России своим домом. English Abstract: This paper presents results of a pilot survey of second generation migrants aged 18-30 in Russia which was conducted online with targeting via social networking sites. Second generation migrants are those who were born or spent at least several school years in Russia and who had at least one parent who was a migrant. This research focuses on the second generation of Armenian and Azerbaijani migrants. The analysis of the survey results (N=302) the paper outlines integration characteristics of this group in the four dimensions: structural, cultural, social and identificational integration. Comparison of the socio-economic characteristics of the second generation migrants with the Russian youth (data of FOM and RLMS) shows that first group is more successful than the second one having higher levels of education and earnings. Second generation migrants have ethnically mixed social ties but stick to the monoethnic marriages. Armenian and Azerbaijani self-identification prevails but does not conflict with the Russian one as well as with the thesis that Russia is the home.

Constructing a city, building a life: Brazilian construction workers’ continuous mobility as a permanent life strategy

This article provides an ethnographic analysis of domestic labor mobility among Brazilian construction workers in the context of the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. We start from the premise that mobile laborers are crucial for the physical development and expansion of cities. However, the importance of domestic migrants in this process is insufficiently addressed in mobility studies. Building on existing research on domestic population movements in Brazil, we argue that the current generation of mobile construction workers draws on the intangible and material infrastructure generated by previous generations of migrants to enable novel kinds of (permanent) labor mobilities.

Increased cardiovascular disease risk in international migrants is independent of residence duration or cultural orientation: the HELIUS study

BackgroundInternational migrants differ from host populations in cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk. It has been postulated that these disparities narrow with longer residence duration. Our aim was to determine whether CVD...

Forced Migrants, Media, and Securitization: Making Sense of the Changing Representations of Transit Asylum Seekers in Indonesian Print Media

This paper aims to explain how and why the representations of transit forced migrants in Indonesian major print media were vastly different within two time spans: (1) during the arrivals of the Indochinese refugees in 1975-1996 and (2) in the period of the new generations of refugees from Middle Eastern and South Asian countries in 1997-2013. Employing media content analysis of 216 news articles from three major print media in Indonesia, this study found out that the Indochinese refugees were portrayed with positive labels and thus, mainly discussed in connection with the non-security theme. In contrast, the new generations of forced migrants were portrayed with negative labels such as ‘illegal immigrants’ and were framed as security threats. Grounded within Securitization Theory, this paper thus argues that the changing representations were caused by the securitizing move made by specialized agencies in Indonesia.

Measuring /s/ variation among younger generations in a migrant settlement in Lima, Peru

AbstractThis study analyzes the pronunciation of /s/ in the Spanish of young adults in a newer migrant settlement in metropolitan Lima, Peru. The participants have parents and/or grandparents who migrated to Lima primarily from the Andean provinces, where the sibilant pronunciation of /s/ prevails. The study examines a variety of social factors, including migrant generation, family origin, gender, education, occupation, and social networks to determine the factors that correlate with /s/ weakening, which is more prevalent in ClassicLimeñoSpanish than in Andean Spanish (Caravedo 1990; Hundley 1983; Klee and Caravedo 2006). A proportional-odds mixed effects model was used to treat the repeated measurement categorical data on a continuum of acoustical variation ([s]>[h]>Ø) and the advantages of this model are explained. Results indicate that an important social predictor of /s/ variation is migrant generation: there is a progressive weakening in /s/ with each subsequent migrant generation. In addition to the generational effect, higher levels of education correlate with less /s/ weakening. Two variables were more weakly correlated with /s/ pronunciation: gender and social networks. Overall, the results indicate that young adults in this community, especially those of the third-generation, seem to be assimilating to some degree to coastal norms of /s/ weakening, although there is also a possibility that they may be forming their own norm.